Internal-combustion engine for cycles.



No. 754,929. PATENTED MAR. 15, 1904. H. LEPAPE.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FOR CYCLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

Tu: norms PETERS co. moToumov, HINGTON u c No. 754,929. PATENTED MAR.15, 1904.

H. LEPAPE. I INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FOR CYCLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13. 1903. 1 N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, UNTTED STATES,

. rammed March 15, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE- HIPPOLYIE LEPAPE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE FOR CYCLES- SPECIFIGATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 754,929, dated March 15, 1904.

Application filed July 13, 1903.

T al whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HIPPOLYTE LEPAPE, engineer, a citizen of theRepublic of France, residing at 23 Rue Montaigne, Paris, France, (postaladdress,) have invented a new and useful Improvement inInternal-Combustion Engines for Cycles, (for which I have obtainedLetters Patent in France under date of December 26, 1902, No. 327,714,and in England under date of December 24, 1902, No. 28,558, and forwhich I have applied for Letters Patent in Germany under date ofDecember 31, 1902, and for which Letters Patent have been obtained in myname jointly with that of Paul Leopold Goldschmidt in Belgium under dateof March 30, 1903, No. 169,586, and have been applied for in the samejoint names in Switzerland under date of March 30, 1903,) of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention consists of ,a novel arrangement ofexplosion-engine,so-called oneimpulse-per-revolution engine, intended tobe applied in arational, practical, and advantageous manner to cyclesand autocars. It has for its objects, first, to facilitate the fittingof engines of that kind to a cycle-frame or in the minimum of disposablespace upon an autocar-frame, and, second, to simplify the constructionof the engine crank-shaft and considerably reduce its cost ofmanufacture,while at the same time producing a simple and perfectregulation of the motion of the pumppiston and engine-piston, causingthe engine to produce a maximum yield under the most economicalconditions.

In a so-called one-impulseper-revolution engine comprising a pump and aworking cylinder to which the pump supplies the combustible mixture, theexplosion of which pro-' duces an impulse or power-stroke for everyrevolution of the engine-shaft, the pump draws from the carbureter whilethe power-piston receives the impulse due to the explosion. Beforereaching the end of its stroke the said piston uncovers theexhaust-orifices of the cylinder, (which corresponds to an advance onexhaust in four-phase engines,) and as soon as the pressure hassufficiently decreased in the cylinder the inlet-valve of the latteropens under the pressure of the charge of fresh gas Serial No. 165,373.(No model.)

which the pump is at the time forcing away and which drives or blowsaway the spent gases of the cylinder until the moment when the pistonafter reaching the end of its powerstroke returns and on continuing itsmotion closes the exhaust-orifices. on and during the remainder of itsreturn stroke the piston compresses the charge which has just beenadmitted into the cylinder, and as it reaches the end of its stroke thecharge is ignited and the explosion causes the piston to be impelledforward while the pump draws from the carbureter, and so on, the samecycle being thus repeated and an impulse being produced for everyrevolution of the shaft. If now it be supposed, as has hitherto alwaysbeen the case, that the pump be placed side by side with thepowercylinder in a plane passing through the axis of the powershaft, itis necessary, in. order to produce the above-named phenomena regularly,that the angle of displacement between the two cranks of thedouble-crank shaft, one of which actuates the piston while the other isconnected to the power-piston, shall be about one hundred and twentydegrees; but a double-crank shaft the cranks of which are at one hundredand twenty degrees to each other cannot be readily manufactured and isvery expensive to make, and this therefore constitutes from aneconomical point of view a serious drawback. On theother hand, the ideaof placing in a bicycle the two cylinders side by side in a transverseplane to the frame cannot be entertained, because they would take up toomuch space widthwise for the free play of the cyclists legs. It thusbecame necessary to devise an advantageous arrangement whereby the saidcylinders could 'be so located as not to interfere with the legs, whileat the same time affording the maximum of simplicity, the best yield,and the most perfect action. That is precisely the object of the presentinvention, which while obviating the hereinbefore-mentioned drawbacksenables, under very advantageous conditions as to cost of manufacture,an engine of the class set forth to be produced, it being reduced to itsmost simple expression, perfect as to operation, and capable of beingreadily installed in a bicycle-frame with the From that time twocylinders in a plane at right angles to the engine-shaft, so as not tointerfere any more than one-cylinder engines operating according to thefour-phase principle, while at the same time affording the markedadvantage over such engines of producing one impulse per revolution.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is adiagrammatic longitudinalsection along the axis of the cylinders of aone-impulse-per-rcvolutionengine of the class set forth. Fig. 2 shows the engine fitted on abicycle.

The arrangement essentially consists in placing the power-cylinder a.and the pump-cylinder 5 in such a manner that their axes shall be in thesame plane at right angles to the crankshaft axis 0 and be at an angleof, say, sixty degrees, the pump-cylinder being ahead of thepower-cylinder in respect of the direction of rotation. Under theseconditions a crankshaft may be employed having its cranks (Z and c at anangle of one hundred and eighty de grees to each other, since thedifference between one hundred and eighty degrees and sixty degrees justcorresponds to the displacement of one hundred and twenty degreesnecessary for insuring a perfect regulation of the operation of theengine. It is obvious that this is a marked advantage from a point ofview of the saving in cost. Moreover, the fitting of the engine in thelower angle of a bicycle-frame is thereby rendered easy, (see Fig. 2,)each cylinder being about parallel to one of the tubes, and the wholeonly thus taking up a width in the frame corresponding to that of thepower-cylinder.

he piston f of the power-cylinder a actuates the crank (Z of shaft 0,while the crank e is connected to the pump-piston h by connecting-rod i.The connecting-rod heads and cranks dip into an oil-bath j, contained inthe carrier-case.

it is the automatic pump-valve, the valvebox of which is connected tothe carbureter Z, in which the pump draws. Thepump forces through tube minto the box of the automatic inlet-valve n of the power-cylinder, thelatter being also provided wit-h exhaust-orifice 0, which is uncoveredby the power-piston f at the end of its power-stroke.

The operation is as follows: In Fig. 1 the parts are shown in theposition in which the drawing of the pump into the carbureter commences,the pump-piston being at the top of its stroke and the power-piston fhaving already accomplished part of its return stroke (corresponding tothe angular displacement of sixty degrees) and being on the point afterclosing the exhaust 0 of commencing to compress the charge of gas in thecylinder at. As

the motion takes place in the direction of arrow a: during therevolution of the crank e from position I to position II, the piston Itcommences to draw gas from the carbureter Z. hile this is taking placethe crank (Z revolves from position III to position IV. The piston fcompresses the gas, reaches the end of its compressing-stroke, and thecharge is ignited. During the revolution of crank e from position II toposition III the piston h completes its drawing stroke at the same timeas crank (Z revolves from position IV to posi tion I, and the expansionof the explosiongases commences to take place in the powercylinder a.The crank then revolving from position III to position IV, the piston 7tcommences to force the charge of gas drawn from the carbureter Z duringthe preceding stroke into the power-cylinder through tube m, which firstof all produces a slight compression, while, the crank (Z then passingfrom position I to position 11, the piston f continues its power-strokeand the gases attain their full expansion in (0. Then as soon as towardthe end of this stroke piston f uncovers exhaust-orifices 0 the spentgases are blown out by the charge of fresh gas forced in by the pump.Finally, While the crank e revolves from position IV to position Ipiston it completes the forcing of fresh gas into cylinder a, drivingout the spent gases. At the same time crank (Z revolves from position IIto position III, and the piston f reaches the end of its power-strokeand commences its return stroke, during the first stage of which itcloses the exhaust 0. The cycle of movements just described is thenrepeated in the same manner, a power impulse being given for everyrevolution.

The engine may be fitted to the tubes 19 q of the cycle-frame by meansof clamps 9 '2 8, respectively attached to the carrier-case j andcylinder at. The exhaust 0 maybe connected by a tube Z to a muffler u,and the motion is transmitted from shaft 0 to driving-wheel o by meansof a belt in in the usual way. It will be understood, moreover, that theapplication of an engine of this class is not exclusively limited tocycles. On the contrary, it may also be advantageously employed on allautocars when only a limited space on the frame can be disposed of orwhenever cireumstances only admit of a minimum bulk.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An internal-combustion engine comprising a power-cylinder and a pumpcylinder arranged in a V shape with their axes at an angle of aboutsixty degrees to each other, a piston in each cylinder, piston-rods andacommon crank-shaft formedwith two cranks at one hundred and eightydegrees to each other, connected to the respective piston-rods, substantially as described and shown and for the purpose set forth.

2. An internal-combustion engine comprising a power-cylinder and apump-cylinder arranged in a V shape, with their axes at an angle ofabout sixty degrees to each other, a piston in each cylinder,pistona'ods, a common crank-shaft formed with two cranks at one hundredand eighty degrees to each other, connected to the respectivepiston-rods, and a pipe connecting the force end of the pumpcylinder tothe inlet end of the power-cylinder, substantially as described andshown and for the purpose set forth.

3. An internal-combustion engine comprising a power-cylinder and apump-cylinder arranged in a V shape, with their axes at an angle ofabout sixty degrees to each other, a piston in each cylinder,piston-rods, a common crank-shaft formed with two cranks at one hundredand eighty degreesto each other, connected to the respectivepiston-rods, a pipe connecting the force end-of the pump-cylinder to theinlet end of the power-cylinder and a carbureter connected to thepump-cylinder, substantially as described and shown and for the purposeset forth.

4. The combination ofthe wheels and diamond frame of amotor-cycle withan internalcombustion engine fastened to the interior of said frame,said engine comprising a powercylinder and a pump-cylinder arranged in Vshape with their axes at an angle of about sixty degrees to each other,a piston in each cylinder, piston-rods, a common crank-shaft formed withtwo cranks one hundred and eighty degrees apart, said cranks beingconnected to said piston-rods respectively, a pipe connecting the forceend of the pump-cylinder to the inlet end of the power-cylinder, acarbureter connected with the pump-cylinder and suitable inlet andoutlet ports, and Valves, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

H. LEPAPE.

Witnesses:

DOUGLAS HORACE BRANDON, LOUIS RINNE',

